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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23502397">I Took The One Less Traveled By</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tini_dancer/pseuds/tini_dancer'>tini_dancer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dead Poets Society (1989)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Poetry, Post-Canon, anderperry, mr. Keating is a dad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:08:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,040</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23502397</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tini_dancer/pseuds/tini_dancer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Neil never pulls the trigger, and decides to change his life in a different way, and he doesn’t want to do it without Todd.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Todd Anderson/Neil Perry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>214</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I Took The One Less Traveled By</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He couldn’t do it.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">For a while it seemed like there was no other option for him. His dad wasn’t going to let him have the freedom he wanted. He wasn’t going to be able to act again, meaning that night was the only night he could truly be his full self. There was no way his dad wasn’t going to try and get Mr. Keating fired for “corrupting his son” and “derailing him from his studies,” meaning no more emotion-driven classes that taught him more in a day than he had had any other year in English. The poetry would be gone. The life, the exhilaration, the love, the romance, it would be all gone. With that gone, there would be no reason for the Dead Poets Society to continue. If the members didn’t have the heart, which he knew they wouldn’t if Keating left, then there was no reason. He would lose everything, and he didn’t want to feel that.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Even still, with the gun in his hand, his finger lightly placed on the trigger, Neil couldn’t do it.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Shakily, he wrapped the pistol up and put it in the drawer, locking it back up and putting the key back where he found it. He quietly made his way to his room, where it had gotten frigid from him leaving the window open, allowing some snow to lightly dust on his crown he had sitting on the window sill. He picked it up and shook it a few times, analyzing its makeup. He’d worn it many times before, during rehearsal and the show itself. It was the symbol of his one night of freedom. He smiled and wiped away a few residual snowflakes.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Then it hit him.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He set the crown on his bed and went back downstairs, grabbing the same key he had before. Neil’s goal wasn’t the gun this time, but something in a different drawer. With a smile, Neil pulled out a bag with the label “Extra Money for Neil’s College.” He took hold of it and closed the drawer, locking it up and going back to his room.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">If the money in the bag was intended for his future, then that’s how it was going to be used.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He packed quickly, stuffing as much of his clothes as he could in the medium-sized suitcase in his closet. His normal one was back at Welton, sitting in his closet collecting dust. It was old, technically his father’s. Figures it ended up in the back corner of a closet, tattered and dirty. It was like his father’s mentality. This was a new start.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The last thing Neil packed was his crown. He smiled at it with fondness and closed the suitcase, having to lean over it to get it to close. He dragged his giant bag to the window and smirked. This was his chance. He could finally be free. As he started to pick up his suitcase, an image of his family flashed through his mind. While his father was always mad at him, his mother was more understanding. She was a bystander, more or less, but Neil could hear her heart bleed for her miserable son. And even so, his dad still deserved some sort of explanation. So Neil grabbed a pen and piece of paper. He scribbled something down really fast and left it on his bed. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">With one last look at his room, he picked up his suitcase and tossed it out the window, it luckily hitting a bush so it didn’t burst open on impact. Neil followed it, landing a little farther out into the snow. He took the handle into his hands and ran as fast as he could. He couldn’t tell you to where or what direction, but he ran. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">••••</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">That morning, his mother and father would find Neil’s room empty with a untouched bed and a note that read:</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">Gather ye rose-buds while ye may, </span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">Old Time is still a-flying; </span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">And this same flower that smiles today </span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">Tomorrow will be dying. </span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s3">Carpe Diem</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">••••</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">It was strange not having Neil in his room when he woke up. He always woke up first, and would usually spend time just staring at the brave, energized boy that lay on the other side of the room. Todd knew he could never be like him. What he had witnessed that last night was one for the history books. Neil was a fantastic actor, and the way he lit up the stage affected everyone in the audience. It was no wonder the other actors pushed Neil up to take an extra bow. He deserved it.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd could only imagine what had gone down after with Neil and his dad.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">His own father was pretty strict. He had high expectations of him, mostly from what examples came from his brother. The way they had been compared their whole lives is what made Todd such a quiet, reserved person. He was never able to speak up, say what he wanted. Even when Mr. Keating gave him and his class the chance, he didn’t for months. Then he had his “barbaric yawp” moment. He was reading aloud at Dead Poets Society meetings. He was smoking with his friends, laughing at Dalton’s jokes and dancing around as they made songs from the poems the read. For the first time, Todd felt like his voice box worked. It was there for a reason, and Mr. Keating gave him that reason.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Well, so did Neil.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil was loud, energetic, and boastful all of the time. Never did he not have a smile on his face. He found the joy in everything, especially during Keating’s classes. It was something Todd admired about him, be it jarring at times. But Neil believed in him. He invited him to study groups and to the DPS, even when he didn’t want to speak. He tried to motivate him to write his poem for class, even though he never could finish it. But that was Neil for you, always lifting others while going for his dreams. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He wasn’t surprised when Neil didn’t show up for classes that day. He had gone home with his family and they were probably keeping him there to keep scolding him about the play. Todd couldn’t understand where Mr. Perry’s brute anger was coming from, especially after seeing the play. Could he not see his son’s innate talent? Besides, it wasn’t like Neil was a chorus member of a distasteful musical. He was the lead in a Shakespeare play, one that Todd had always found extremely confusing and not funny, though it be a comedy. It was like Mr. Perry did not enjoy any form of entertainment at all. What a sad life.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Somehow, even with Neil gone, Todd was excited for English. A small part of him was hoping they would explore some more Shakespearean sonnets after the play, even though that writing style wasn’t really Todd’s cup of tea. But he loved the romance of the sonnets, especially the ones that were, Keating told them, rumored to be written for a secret male lover. Never had homosexuality been mentioned in school before, and it made Todd feel a little more accepted, even when he was a meal amoeba in his seat.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">A smile came over Todd’s face when Mr. Keating entered the room. He was so excited. But, unlike most classes, Mr. Keating was unusually quiet. He wrote a simple verse on the board and turned to the class. Todd moved his head a little to read it.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">This World is not Conclusion.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">A Species stands beyond –</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">Invisible, as Music –</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">But positive, as Sound …</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“My dear boys,” Mr. Keating leaned against the board a little, “I have some not very happy news. I am sad to tell you that this week will be my last at Welton.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">...what?</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd’s smile faded. No way was he leaving. Not after all of this. Not after him being able to finally talk in front of a group of people without feeling dumb. Not after him finally able to smile and feel light and love.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“You can’t be serious,” Meeks spoke up, “th-the semester isn’t even over!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“What happened?” Pitts asked.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Mr. Keating sighed as his head hung low, “Us staff here at Welton were notified earlier this morning that our darling Neil has gone missing. No one knows where he is, but it seems everyone is pointing a finger at me for his disappearance. His parents have asked for me to be removed, so that is what is happening.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd’s mind went numb. Not only was Mr. Keating being fired, but Neil was missing. His mind flooded with excuses, how Neil’s parents were faking this just to boot out Keating, or how Keating was pulling a prank and Neil would walk in any minute, ready to present a monologue from A Midsummer Nights Dream. But it didn’t look like that was happening.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“This isn’t fair,” Todd said with a small voice.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Mr. Keating looked to him, “Come again, Mr. Anderson.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He took a deep breath, “This isn’t fair. There’s no way you’re responsible for Neil disappearing. All you’ve done is inspire us to be ourselves and more. What evil could that be?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Well, it appears that the administration and Neil’s family look upon this situation with a different lens, one sadly I cannot fix,” he looked back to the class, “but I promise to make this last week one to remember. You will live and love like all should before they decide to kill this class. By the end of this week, you will once again present a self-written poem. Make it original, make it emotional, make it what you want it to be. It will not be graded, and it will not leave this room. This is your last chance for this place to be your sanctuary, so make the most of it.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Class went by in a blur, and Todd could not concentrate even if he tried. All he could think of was Neil. Even with the fate of his most beloved teacher, he could only think of Neil. Was he safe? Did he get kidnapped? Was he really gone? Questions rattled in his brain and wouldn’t stop. All he wished was that, wherever Neil was, he was being himself. Happy and smiling, like Todd knew him to be.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">••••</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Mr. Keating sat at his desk in his office, looking at the picture of the love of his life. He would soon be back there with her in London, which did indeed excite him, but the thought of leaving his boys behind scared him. He knew what kind of brainwashing Welton did to their kids, and he did his best to prevent that with his own bunch. Of course it didn’t work, it rarely did in these cases. He didn’t tell the students of the note found on Neil’s bed with the first stanza of the first poem they had ever read in the class. It was obvious that Neil had run away from home, away from Welton. And it was obvious the inspiration came from himself.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">As he sat back in his chair, thinking about where to start with packing, the phone rang. He wasn’t in the mood to talk with anyone at that time. So he let it ring. He closed his eyes inhaled sharply, doing his best to enjoy his last moments in a complete office. A place of his own peace, away from everything. If he wasn’t going to he dragged out, he was going to stick his feet in the ground as much as he could.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Then the phone rang. Again.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Guessing it was the same person, he decided to answer it. He wasn’t prepared for who was on the other end.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Mr. Keating?”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He swallowed a lump in his throat, “Mr. Perry. Ho-how are you? Where are you?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“I’m safe and alive. I can’t tell you where I’m at. But I needed to call you.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Mr. Perry,” Keating said quietly, “your family called. My last day at Welton is on Friday.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“...oh.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“‘Oh’ indeed.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“I didn’t want this. This is exactly what I tried to avoid by leaving. I guess I didn’t think everything through.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Keating found himself laughing, “Did you think much of anything through?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“I have money. So, yes, I did to an extent.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">There was a small pause, and Keating didn’t know what to say, for once in his life. But Neil spoke again.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s3"><em>“Listen, I’m going to call again some point between 8 and 9 tonight. But I want to talk to Todd.</em>”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Mr. Keating nodded, “I’m sure I can get him down here.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Thank you, Mr. Keating. And I am so sorry about your job. It’s all my fault.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He shook his head, “It’s not your fault, Neil. I feel that no matter what the circumstance, I would end up leaving. Even with you sitting at your desk today.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“It’s still because of me. I’ll try to make things better.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Neil, there is nothing for you to fix. Just take care of yourself. I’ll have Todd at the phone waiting for you at 8. Will this need to be a private conversation?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Yeah, yeah it is.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Keating smirked, “Alright. Take care of yourself.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“I will. I am.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Goodbye, Neil.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Bye, Mr. Keating.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">••••</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil hung up the phone and looked to the diner’s manager, who looked at him strangely, “I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The manager smiled, “No need to be sorry, sweetie. So, I assume you are on the run?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Nodding, he answered, “I just can’t deal with my family anymore. They want things out of me that I don’t want to give, that I can’t give. I have dreams, desires, whatever. They won’t let me have it.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Well, I’m terribly sorry,” she gave him a soft smile, “do you have anywhere to go?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I mean, I assume I can’t stay here.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“No, I’m sorry about that,” the manager leaned against the wall, looking Neil up and down, “do you want a place to stay?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil was shocked. He felt a pang in his chest, anxiety. It had been looming over him all day, ever since he woke up in the alley between buildings and fully took it what he had done. He kept moving away from his home, away from Welton. When his stomach was about it eat itself, he stopped at a small diner and had stayed there for most of the day. He sat in a booth and observed the other customers and they came and went. The manager had come up to him after about 2 hours, asking why he hadn’t left. Neil simply shrugged it off and said he wasn’t in any rush to leave, and she didn’t bother him again until another hour passed and she became concerned. She asked if he needed to call anyone to get him, and he said no. No one needed to get him, and he didn’t want anyone to get him.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Then he remembered the people who probably cared if he was alive or not. But he had to be careful. No one could know where he was, not even the completely responsible adult he had in mind of calling. As the manager began to walk away, Neil stood up and said he did need to make a call. She pointed to the phone back near the restrooms. So Neil called Mr. Keating, just for comfort. He needed to hear a soothing voice, one that gave him courage. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">And he still needed to hear from Todd. So he asked Mr. Keating if he could get Todd for him later that night. He agreed. But the diner closed at 7:30, which meant he was going to be back out on his own in the bitter New England cold, having to find a pay phone to be able to talk to the one other person he was desperate to speak to.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">From the day they met, Neil was drawn to Todd. His standoffish personality was intriguing, but under all of the timidness was a boy who longed for freedom and air, just like Neil himself. He had a soft laugh that came out only in either the cave or their dorm room. Neil learned that faithful day in class that Todd had a gift with words, coming up with a deeply moving and emotional poem off the top of his head in front of the entire class. After that, he would read at DPS meetings. He was more open and more happy than he had been in the months before. Neil found himself falling for Todd, and not in the way a boy should be for another boy. Part of him was scared to have this other aspect of himself, another thing to make him what his parents didn’t want him to be, but the other part didn’t care. The way he felt around Todd gave him life, and it was something he didn’t want to let go of.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil cleared his throat as his brain remembered that he was speaking to someone, “I’m sorry, what did you say?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Do you need a place to stay?” The manager’s eyes were large with immense care. She was generally concerned, “Because if you do, we have an extra room at my house. I’m sure my husband and kids wouldn’t mind.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">His breath was shaky, “Well shit I... are you sure?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I am,” she smiled, “I don’t want any kind young boys sleeping on the street. You seem too good to be abandoned.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2"><span class="s3">I was abandoned long ago</span> <span class="s2">, Neil thought to himself. But he couldn’t refuse. He needed a place to stay until he could figure out how to get out of Vermont.</span></p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil nodded with a small smile, “Okay. Thank you so much...uh, sorry I never got your name.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">She stuck her hand out, “Melissa Franks. And you?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He shook it, “Neil Perry.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">So he went home with her when the diner closed. It wasn’t a long drive, but it was farther away from Welton and his parents. Melissa’s house was fairly small, only one story. But it was going to have to work. She did say they had an extra room. When they pulled into her driveway, she told Neil to stay in the car and wait. So he waited.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">It took about 20 minutes for Melissa to come back out with a man around her age following behind. She gestured for Neil to get out of the car, and he did. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Neil, this is my husband Jason,” she introduced the men, “Jason, this is Neil.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">They shook hands and Jason said, “I’m sorry to hear about what’s going on with your family. You can stay here until you get on your feet.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I will do my best to make sure that isn’t long.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">They got Neil’s suitcase out of the trunk and went inside, and the first thing Neil saw was two kids, a boy and girl, playing in the living room. They looked up when he entered the room, almost amazed.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Neil, this is Jenny and Kevin. Kids, come say hello to our guest.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Jenny and Kevin stood up and walked over to him. The younger boy spoke first, “Why are you here?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Kevin...” his father began.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“It’s okay,” Neil assures Jason, then knelt down the kids’ height, “Well, unfortunately I don’t have as amazing parents as yours, so I decided to not have them in my life anymore. I’m leaving as soon as I figure out where I want to go.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The little girl smiled, “Will you play with us?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I’ll do my best,” Neil chuckled, then looked at the clock hanging above the Franks’ fireplace. It was about 5 minutes after 8. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He turned to Melissa and asked, “Can I use your phone?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">••••</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd was pacing nervously in Keating’s office. His teacher wouldn’t tell him why he called him down. All he said is that he needed to see him. But even still Keating wasn’t being clear when Todd got there. All he said was to wait for the phone to ring and pick it up. Keating left him alone after that. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">So there Todd was, about to have a panic attack because he had no clue what was going on. He couldn’t have been in trouble, not with Keating. It couldn’t be his parents, because if it was important they would make the trip to Welton. Could it be Jeff? He hadn’t spoken to his brother in months, but he didn’t know if that was a good thing or bad thing. He was so caught up in his thoughts that the sound of the phone ringing scared the shit out of him. He hesitated, but took a deep breath and picked up the phone.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Hello?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">There was a pause. He could hear the person on the other end sigh, like whoever it was was happy to hear from him.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Todd.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">His body began to shake even more, but not from nerves. It was a wave of emotions. It was happiness, relief, emptiness, and betrayal all at once. On the other end was Neil, that son of a bitch.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Holy shit... Ne-Neil.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“You don’t sound too happy to be hearing from me.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd let out a small cry, something he didn’t mean to let out, “Oh my God, you dumbass, where are you?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“I...can’t tell you that.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“You can call me but you can’t tell me where from?” It didn’t come off as offended, though. Todd’s speech was still filled with concern.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“How is everyone? The Dead Poets?”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd nodded a little, even though Neil couldn’t see him, “They’re... they’re pushing through. We’re all worried shitless about you, you know. Nuwanda locked himself in his room.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“That’s, like, the opposite thing I would expect from him.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“No kidding. But he cares about you. We...we all do, Neil. Do you plan on coming back?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd already knew the answer. And it broke his heart even more to hear it out loud.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Hell no. Todd, I can’t go back. I can’t go back and be a piece in their game. If I do, it won’t end well.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd furrowed his eyebrows, “What do you mean by that, Neil?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The conversation went quiet. As the silence lingered, the lump in Todd’s throat grew. Whatever Neil was talking about, it wasn’t good. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Todd, I can’t expect you to understand. But last night... shit this is hard to say.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Neil...” Todd took a deep breath, “Neil, you can tell me anything. I promise I will listen. I don’t want you in pain.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2"><em><span class="s3">Please talk to me</span></em><span class="s2">, Todd pleaded to Neil in his mind, </span> <span class="s3"><em>Let me be that person for you. Let me mean something to you</em>.</span></p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2"><em><span class="s3">“I had it in my hand,” </span></em> <span class="s2">Neil’s words were rattling, like he was standing out in the cold. Perhaps he was, there was no way of Todd knowing otherwise. His voice was high pitched. He was trying to hold back tears. </span></p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Had what, Neil? I need you to talk to me.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“That fucking gun... I was ready to just end it. One small motion and I wouldn’t have to deal with anything anymore. I could be free. Carpe Diem and all that shit. But I didn’t.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s3"><em>“...what the f...Todd?</em>”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He had dropped the phone. It banged against the hardwood floor so loudly anyone outside definitely heard it. His hands were shaking more than they ever had before, and that’s saying a lot about a person with anxiety problems. Pressure arose in his chest, causing his lungs to stop working. He couldn’t breathe. A few coughs came out as a tear ran down Todd’s face. He slowly picked the phone off the ground and put it back to his ear.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Please tell me you’re okay.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“I’m fine. I promise. I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to leave behind everything good about my life, which, if I’m being honest, isn’t much. Do you know what’s good in my life?”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd swallowed, “Wh...what?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2"><span class="s2">There was a small laugh on Neil’s end, </span> <em><span class="s3">“You. You and the rest of the Dead Poets. Knox, Pitts, Meeks, Nuwanda, and you. I mean I guess Cameron, too, but he can be a hard-ass.”</span></em></p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Well you’re not wrong there,” Todd mumbled, then spoke a little louder, “What a-about-“</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Mr. Keating, too. I mean, without him, I wouldn’t be here.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“You mean running away.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“...You have a point, but I feel more free now than I did back home. The only times I felt good and safe and happy at Welton was in Keating’s class, the Indian cave, and our room. You...you made me feel so safe. You still do.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd’s heart fluttered. What a really inappropriate time for that to happen, he thought to himself. He cleared his throat as a blush rose to his cheeks.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“So, what about it? If you don’t come back, how do we...how do I...uh...”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil took a deep inhale, one Todd could hear on his end of the call. He could tell whatever Neil was about to say was important and going to affect himself in a way he wasn’t prepared for.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">And, yeah, he wasn’t prepared for what came out of Neil’s mouth.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“I want you to come with me.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd couldn’t help that he started laughing. He leaned against the wall of the office and said, “You c-can’t be serious.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“I am.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Neil! I-“ Todd shook his head, “This is insane.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Think about it. You and I, we’re similar in a lot of ways. I know you’re parents want the same thing out of you as out of your brother, and you are nothing like him! You? A lawyer? Do you want that?”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I mean, no, but-“</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“There’s this spark in you that lights up almost every day in Keating’s class. I’ve seen you late at night working on poetry, especially after that day in class. The way you smile when you know you’ve written something good is telling. Todd, Welton is not a place for people like us. You know that.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He wasn’t wrong. Like Neil, Todd found himself becoming a dreamer. He would go into the early hours of the morning working on poem after poem. Some stunk, some were average, and some were things pulled right from his heart and splattered on a page. It caught himself off guard what he was capable of. Todd was a damn good writer, and he knew it was something he wanted to keep doing, even as a career.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Todd, we could go anywhere. We could go to New York City, or Baltimore, or Boston, whatever. You can write and I can act. No more Hellton. No more parents or teachers telling us who to be. Just two people sucking the marrow out of life to breathe. Please consider it.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd didn’t give himself a chance to think before saying, “I want to.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“You do?”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I mean, uh,” he cleared his throat, “I want to consider it. It does sound nice, yes, but how would we support ourselves? We’re seventeen. No one our age can get real jobs that pay well to pay bills. Especially not by writing and acting.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Who knows? I just want to live day by day with the one person that truly inspires me.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd joked, “Sounds like you’re talking more about Keating.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“No, I mean you. I want to spend an extraordinary life with an extraordinary person.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd moved the phone away from his ear and bit his lip. He looked around, trying to imagine the different lives. Down one path was the easy way. He would finish school, go to Harvard or Yale or Brown to become a lawyer, and practice law. It was a set lifestyle that would support him well. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">But the other path had something Todd longed for: adventure. He wanted to branch out and try to be a more daring person. He was already starting to do it. He could do what he wanted, write about everything and anything, even get his poems published without the guilt of disappointing his family. He could escape them. He could escape Welton.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">But escaping Welton meant leaving the other Dead Poets.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd put the phone back to his ear, “What about the others?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“They’re the smartest people we know. They have their desires that will lead them down their right paths. If anything, Mr. Keating taught us to have desire take us to our right place in life. For them, it’s laid out like a red carpet, but with a little more passion. But me...and you...we don’t belong there. I am going to act. I need the experience. I need out. I have a gut feeling that you do, too.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He did. Todd needed out. If Keating wasn’t going to be there anymore, than what was the point? He was the one teacher that gave him a voice. He was going to use it. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd could not believe this was happening.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Okay.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Okay...?”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd laughed, “I’m in. Let’s do it.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2"><span class="s2">Neil whooped on the other end and laughed, </span> <em><span class="s3">“Yes! Okay, I’ll call you again tomorrow when I have a better plan. Same time?”</span></em></p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Yeah, yeah,” Todd was smiling from ear to ear, “same time.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Bye, Todd.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Yeah, see you, Neil.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil hung up, and Todd put the phone back up. He closed his eyes and just started laughing. He sunk to the floor as the laughs kept coming. He heard the door open, and Mr. Keating stood above him.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Is everything alright, Mr. Anderson?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He looked up at him with a large smile and a tear running down his face.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I’m free.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">••••</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“May I ask you were on the phone with last night?” Melissa asked as she handed Neil a okays with bacon and eggs on it, as well as a cup of tea.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil tried to hide the redness appearing on his face, “Just, uh, my roommate from Welton.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Wouldn’t that be the last place to call if you are trying to escape it?” Jason asked from behind the newspaper he was reading. Neil laughed.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I mean, yes, but there are some good people there. I mean, my favorite teacher and my roommate know I’m at a safe place. They are the only ones I really trust from there. Besides, I had a question to ask him.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Melissa tilted her head slightly, “The teacher or the roommate?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Roommate,” Neil clarified, “You see, he’s in a similar situation. Not as dire, but his parents wouldn’t let him do what he wants, either. So...I asked him to run away with me.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Jason groaned and sat the paper down on the table. He looked to his wife and said, “We’re going to have another ward?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Oh be nice,” Melissa slightly hit him, then turned to Neil, “what did he say?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“He said ‘yes.’ Today, I’m going to try to find a place to go. A good place for both a struggling actor and a beginner poet.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Have you thought of New York?” </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Possibly,” Neil bit his lip, “But, it is kind of expensive to live there. I mean, I don’t want to become like a musical Broadway actor. I enjoy older plays, like Shakespeare.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Oh, Shakespeare!” Came a high-pitched voice. They all turned to see Jenny at the door, who then went on to pretend-swoon, “Oh Romeo! Where for art thou Romeo!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil laughed and went on with her, “Tis the east, and Juliet is the sun.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Would you ever play Romeo?” Jenny got into her seat at the table as she asked. Her mom poured her a bowl of cereal.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Maybe,” Neil shrugged, “my favorite Shakespeare play is Hamlet, actually. But you’re too young to understand that one.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Kevin came in next and asked, “Aren’t you too young to be leaving home?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Kevin, stop with this attitude,” Jason scolded, “we can’t help Neil’s situation. We are just helping for a little bit.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I won’t be here long,” Neil winked at him, “I promise.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">They all finished their breakfast and Melissa took the kids to school on her way to work. Neil sat on the couch in the living room, and Jason followed.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Neil,” he began, “what is your plan?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He shrugged, “If I’m being honest, I don’t have one. I have some money that was supposed to go towards my college fund, but I don’t even want to go to college anymore. I want out of Vermont. I’m going to have to ask Todd tonight if he has any ideas.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Todd?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil nodded, “Roommate. The one that’s coming with me. I want to find a place that is good for the both of us.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Jason sat in his chair, “You seem to care about him a lot.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I do,” Neil replied, “he’s my best friend. We know a lot about each other.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Jason cleared his throat and said, “Son, uh, Neil, listen. I hope you realize that I, we, us as a family, aren’t discriminatory against homosexuals. You can tell me the truth.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Oh.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">That took a turn in the too truthful direction.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He starting picking at his nails. Neil bit his lip and said, “What makes you think that-“</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I...experimented in college, a little. My old roommate is like that. I have total respect for his lifestyle, and his partner is one of the smartest people I have ever met.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Okay, this was getting weird.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“So, what if I have feelings for Todd? Even if he doesn’t feel the same, I know he’s just as miserable at Welton as I was. He needs out, and I’m going to take him someplace where he can be free. Where we can both be free.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Jason smiled. He then went over to a shelf and picked up a framed photo. He sighed and handed to Neil. It was Jason and his family standing in front of an old building that looked like a theater. It was a very nice picture of the family that gave Neil a warm feeling.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“That’s us in front of the Globe.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil’s eyes widened, “Oh my God, really?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Yes. The night before we had seen a production of Romeo and Juliet at a small theater in London, and our kids loved it so much that we decided to show them the place where it all started. They were so excited.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“That’s great,” Neil handed Jason the picture, “But, if I may ask, what does that have to do with me?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“What I am suggesting is that you and Todd go to London.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil let out a huff and gazed at him in astonishment, “I don’t know. I don’t know if I can afford to go there. Not on the money I took from home.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“You said your money is supposed to go into your college fund. I’m sure it’s enough to get you there. Really, you should consider London. It would be great for you two.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil closed his eyes and imagined himself and Todd in London, walking down the streets, smiling like idiots. It sounded wonderful.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I will...definitely bring that up to him. Thank you so much, Jason.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He winked, “Anytime.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">••••</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd closed his notebook as the other members of the Dead Poets Society entered his room. They spread out, Charlie sitting on the heater, Knox taking Todd’s desk chair, Meeks taking Neil’s, and Pitts and Cameron sitting on Neil’s bed. They all stared at Todd and didn’t say a word.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“You guys are acting like I’m going to confess about a murder,” he said.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Knox shrugged, “You’ve never called a meeting like this.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Did you kill someone?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Cameron rolled his eyes, “Shut up, Nuwanda.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Charlie stuck his tongue out and laughed, and the others followed. Todd shook his head.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“No, Dalton, I didn’t kill anyone. But...what I have to tell you is pretty serious.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">They waited. Todd gulped down his anxieties as his fingered twitched. He wasn’t ready to tell them, but he had to.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I, uh, talked to Neil last night.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Holy shit I-“</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“No way!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Is he alright?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd put his hands up to get his friends to stop talking, “He’s safe. I don’t know where, but he says he is. But, he isn’t coming back to Welton.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I’m not going to lie,” Knox said, “I think we all figured that out already.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Let him speak, Knoxious,” Meeks eyed him, then said to Todd, “Please continue.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd nodded and did so, “He doesn’t know where exactly he’s going yet. But...I, uh...well....I said I’d go with him.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The room was dead silent. Todd hung his head low and hugged his notebook close to him as he felt the room cave in on him. You could taste the tension in the air. It hung like humidity in the summer. He could tell that everyone was trying to process what he said, and what was going to happen.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Pitts spoke up first, “When?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I have no idea,” Todd answered, “Soon, I think.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Why the hell are you doing this?” Cameron asked, “Do you understand how irresponsible this is? You’re seventeen fucking years old! What are you going to do, just drop out of school all together? You’re too smart for this, you dumbass. Why the hell are you going with that traitor?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Now wait a minute, Cameron,” Charlie put a hand up, “Neil isn’t a traitor.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“He isn’t here right now!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“He’s in pain,” Todd almost shouted, “He needs out. Hell, he almost put a bullet in his head the other night!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Again, silence. But Todd didn’t let it last long.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“He and I...we aren’t meant for this place. I mean, he wants to act. And I...” he held his notebook close, “I want to be a poet. Here, especially with Keating leaving, this isn’t my place. And what better time to just say ‘fuck it’ than now? If I get a chance to be myself, and so does Neil, then it shouldn’t matter. My family doesn’t love me. They just want the success out of me. I won’t give it to them. So I’m leaving whenever Neil and I figure out a plan.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Knox swallowed, “What about us? The club?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Charlie stood up, “I say we have one last meeting this afternoon before we have two crucial members leave us for good.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The group agreed to that, and Todd said, “Thanks guys. For everything. You guys are the best people ever.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Well obviously not better than Neil.” Charlie joked.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Knox looked to Todd as asked, “You gonna do it?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Do what?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Do you think we don’t have eyes?” Meeks said, “You and Neil have been drooling over each other all semester. If you are going to run away with him, you might as well tell him that you like him.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd face turned completely red and his hands shook. But he played it off by laughing, “You think I should?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Yes!” Everyone else said in unison. They shared a laugh and the bell rang, signaling it was time for classes. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">They went to the Indian cave later that day. Todd read the opening statement and they all went around reading poems out of the book. They smoked out of pipes and laughed when Nuwanda drew little marks everyone’s faces to enhance their spirits. They danced around when Pitts created a tune out of a poem, nearly knocking over the God of the Cave. Knox read a love poem and dedicated it not only to Chris, but to the “runaway grooms.” The meeting ended with Todd reading the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. How appropriate.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">And sorry I could not travel both</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">And be one traveler, long I stood</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">And looked down one as far as I could</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">To where it bent in the undergrowth;</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">Then took the other, as just as fair,</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">And having perhaps the better claim,</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">Because it was grassy and wanted wear;</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">Though as for that the passing there</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">Had worn them really about the same,</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">And both that morning equally lay</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">In leaves no step had trodden black.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">Oh, I kept the first for another day!</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">Yet knowing how way leads on to way,</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">I doubted if I should ever come back.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">I shall be telling this with a sigh</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">Somewhere ages and ages hence:</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">I took the one less traveled by,</span> </em>
</p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">And that has made all the difference.</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">••••</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I’m sad I missed it,” Neil said, playing with the chord of the phone, “but I’m glad you had fun.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Yeah, it was fun. I, uh, read the opening statement. All by myself.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“That’s great, Todd!” Neil smiled, “I knew you had it in you.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2"><span class="s2">Todd hummed and continued, </span> <em><span class="s3">“Keating’s having us write one last poem for class. We read on Friday.”</span></em></p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Are you actually writing one this time?” Neil teased, and Todd actually laughed.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“In fact, I am. I’ve only thrown away 4 pieces of paper. So I am improving.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Congratulations, Todd. You are learning how to conserve paper.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">They chuckled, and at that moment Jenny entered the kitchen. Neil smiled down at her, and she waved. He continued with his phone call when Jenny went to grab something from the fridge.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“So, what’s your poem going to be about?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“That’s...uh, t-that’s a surprise.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil bit his lip, “Are you saying I’m going to be able to hear it?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Yeah. Whenever we meet up to leave. I’ll read it to you then.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil nodded and said, “So, have you thought about places to go?” At that point, Jenny was sitting that the kitchen table eating from a bowl of grapes, watching him talk on the phone.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“A little, yeah. New York could be a good place, but it’s not a super nice city and the poetry community there is so spread out I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Not to mention I have no idea of places that do Shakespeare for you.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Yeah, I have my weird niche for old plays about love, death, and everything in between. Not chorus lines.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“I cannot imagine you doing that.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil chuckled and said, “Well, I had an idea for a place we could go.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“What’s that?”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“London.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">A pause. Then a laugh.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Fucking hell, you are insane.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil panicked, the tried to derail the conversation, “You know, you curse more now that you don’t stutter as much.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Shut up. Don’t get off topic. Are you serious? London?”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“There’s a large Shakespearean theater community there. And so many famous poets came from England. It’s a great place to go. Not to mention the food, the culture, the atmosphere. I mean, Keating’s spent a few years there.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“He’s actually going back now that he’s fi-wait a minute.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil tilted his head, “What?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Keating’s going back to London after this week. You want to go there. And if I’m being honest, it doesn’t sound like that bad of an idea. It’s far away from here and a place where the arts thrive. It’s the home of the renaissance!”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil was starting to catch on. He bit his bottom lip, “You’d have to ask.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Well, yeah. I can ask after this call or tomorrow.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Tomorrow,” Neil said, “take time to figure out what to say.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Okay.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil laughed, “Neil Perry and Todd Anderson, taking on London. Sounds pretty epic to me.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2"><span class="s2">That laugh again. How Neil loved that laugh, </span> <em><span class="s3">“We’ll talk again tomorrow, right?”</span></em></p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Same time.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">“Okay. Bye, Neil.”</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Bye.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He hung up, and Jenny was smiling at him, “What?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“You’re blushing like crazy,” Jenny ate the last grape and got out of the chair, “somebody’s in love.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I-I...uh-“</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Jenny giggled and sang as she left the kitchen, “Neil and Todd sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G...”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil smirked and headed to the guest room, ready for another day of planning and hope.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">••••</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd’s conversation with Mr. Keating went way better than expected. It was as if there wasn’t that much of a problem at all.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“It would only be until we can rent a real apartment,” Todd had said, “hopefully not too long. We could work multiple jobs.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Mr. Anderson, please stop fretting,” Keating let him take a few deep breaths before continuing, “this whole thing, you and Neil, that’s a big step. But it’s something I understand. It is pretty irresponsible, but you two are handling it in a pretty responsible way, and I respect that. London is truly a wonderful place, full of life and learning. It would be great for the both of you to pursue your careers in the arts. It was great for me as a teacher.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd played with his fingers, “You aren’t disappointed that we’re running away?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“No. Sometimes, a little rebellion is what makes life as exhilarating as it is. And you two have me to help you get along until you don’t need me. I will be there for you. And so will Mila and Lacie.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd smiled and gave Mr. Keating this face, “Mila and Lacie?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“My wife and daughter, respectively.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I didn’t know you had a daughter!” Todd nudged his teacher. It was then when he realized how much he had come out of his shell.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Most people here don’t. But I can’t wait to see her again.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I’m sure,” Todd said, “thank you so much, Mr. Keating. I really don’t think I have enough words to express how thankful I am. You truly are a life changer.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Keating smiled, “I care about my boys. I care about you and Neil and your happiness. If it means you two coming to live with me in London? That’s fine. Just start packing and pack a lot.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd nodded as the bell rang, “Oh, I’m late for soccer.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Here,” Keating quickly wrote a note to excuse Todd’s tardiness, “it won’t look good on me, but I’m done in two days so what the hell.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">With a laugh, Todd got out of his desk and gathered his things. He thanked Mr. Keating one last time before heading out to the fields.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">••••</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“What’s your plan?” Melissa sat Neil down in the living room after his call with Todd that Wednesday night. Jason sat in his usual chair and the kids played with some toys on the floor, minding their own business.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I’ve given Todd and Mr. Keating this address to come and get me Friday night, after dinner time at Welton. The flight to London is at 9, so we’ll head to the airport pretty soon after they get here. So for now we just wait.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“You’ll be living with your teacher?” Jason tried to clarify.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Gross,” Kevin chimed in.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I mean, kind of,” Neil made a weighing motion with his hands, “he’s not our teacher anymore after Friday. And really, he’s kind of been like a second dad, a real dad, to me all semester. I would trust him with almost anything. He said that his wife and daughter are excited to meet us. Mr. Keating had to pay to get international service so they could know. But it’s only until Todd and I can get enough money to afford our own place. We’re going to be independents in England.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“London is amazing!” Jenny beamed and looked over to Neil, “you need to do as much as you can when you are there! There is so much to do!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I bet we’ll find time to have some fun,” Neil winked, “besides, it’s a new area. We are going to have to figure our way around.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I can’t wait to meet Todd,” Jenny teased, “What does he look like? Is he taller or shorter than you? Younger or older? Is he like the mysterious type or pretty open book?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil looked on in astonishment, then looked to Melissa, “How much television has she been watching?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“It’s either soap operas or football. Which is something they fight over all the time.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil laughed and looked back at Jenny, “You’ll have to see Friday night.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The little girl squealed and went back to playing, where her brother was rolling his eyes. Neil chuckled and leaned back, taking in the comfort of a place he felt accepted. Fully, truly accepted.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">••••</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Keating’s last day left almost every student in tears. He started off the class with a poem of his own, one he wrote in honor of his students, and how honored he was to have meaning in their lives. He then went in a random order for poem readings, and boy were some heart strings pulled.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Pitts’ poem was a short poem about a sanctuary hidden away for only the daring to enter, which was about the Indian cave the DPS would host their meetings.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Cameron’s poem was pretty bland, but it ended on a sweet note when he thanked Mr. Keating for the unique learning experience.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Meeks’ was about the snow, and how it made everything seem nice from the outside, but hid dark secrets underneath it. It was a jab at Welton and what it had done, driving three important people out of his life.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Hopkins’ poem was again “The cat/Sat on/The mat,” but he continued it, saying how alone the cat felt with all of his friends and his mother gone. Even Mr. Keating shed a tear.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Knox’s was about love, of course. But he talked about the immortality of love, how it lived in the air we breathe every day. How it was impossible for it to not be in our systems. He then dedicated it to Chris at the end, causing a little bit of laughter.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Charlie’s was a cry out to the listening spirits, asking them for comfort over himself and his friends as these hard times came over. To any other student, it was about losing Keating. To the Dead Poets, it was about losing Neil and Todd. But it ended talking about how happy life is to come, and Todd had to hide his face in his hands to try and keep himself from completely losing it.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd went last. And he did not disappoint. There was not a dry eye in the house once he completed his poem. He did not stutter or mumble a single word. He barely looked at his paper that had the poem, meaning he had it memorized. It meant something to him. When he finished, he stayed up on the stage for a little longer while the class gave him a standing ovation. When he did head back to his seat, he was stopped by Spaz, who said, “You should consider getting that published.” </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd beamed and took his seat, and as the bell of Mr. Keating’s last class rung, Todd held back a slight second.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“After dinner, the door that goes to the courtyard.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Mr. Keating gave him a wink, and Todd went off.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">••••</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Jenny was running around like a crazy lady as it got closer to 7:30pm, the time Mr. Keating and Todd were supposed to get there to pick up Neil. She was desperate to meet the boy Neil had been gushing over ever since he opened up to the Franks about his feelings for him. It was to a point of obsession, which was hilarious for Neil and the rest of her family. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Nervous?” Melissa asked. Was it not obvious to her as Neil sat very still on the couch, keeping all of his fear internalized? It was actually happening. He was truly running away from everything with Todd, who was doing the exact same thing, to live with Mr. Keating, who had gotten fired because of him, in London, England, which was half a world away. Why wouldn’t he be nervous?</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil’s voice was light and shaky, “I am terrified.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“It’ll be alright,” she took his hand and squeezed it, “You are going to live out your dream. That’s all anybody would want.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I want it to be beautiful,” Neil said, as if he was in a dream. He couldn’t control what was coming out of his mouth, he was so scared. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“It will be.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">A bright light shown through the window of the living room. Jenny squealed in delight and said, “He’s here!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil exhaled loudly. It was going to happen.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The light disappeared, and not long after a knock came at the door. Jason went to answer it, and after some greetings, two new faces came into sight. Neil couldn’t hold back his giant, dumb grin. When Mr. Keating and Todd entered, all of his worries almost went away.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Mr. Keating,” Neil got up and went to him first, but did not expect to be taken into a hug. Keating held him close, and he whispered into Neil’s ear, “Now this is the embodiment of Carpe Diem.” Neil laughed.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He then went to face Todd, who had some snow sprinkled on his jacket. He was as adorable as ever, with his nose pink from the cold and his blue eyes shining. He was perfect. Neil didn’t even try to hold back his blush.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“So this is Todd,” Jenny leaned against the wall and tried to act cool, “Neil talks about you all the time.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil shook his head, “No, no, I don’t talk about you all the time. I mean, I’ve talked about you because of the plan, not for really any other reason.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He felt a hand slap his leg as Jenny yelled, “Liar!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd giggled and said, “I’m ready for this. Are you?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“You’re not nervous?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd shook his head, “Not when I know I’m going to be with you.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil felt the air leave his lungs. Why did Todd have to have such a way with words? </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“You’re kidding.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“No, I’m not.” Todd smiled, then took out a sheet of paper from his pocket, “Do you want to hear the poem I did for class?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2"> Neil nodded excitedly, “I’ve been waiting since you told me about it.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd looked over to Mr. Keating, who gave him a nod. With his precious timid smile, Todd held the poem out in front of him, but he never needed it. He spoke it from the heart.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“We ask ourselves every day why we live</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">To simply walk through life without the mind</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">And not push our souls to move, to care, to strive</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">To just conform to norms set by those with no kind </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">We kick and scream until we are gagged up</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">We sit and cry silent tears while they laugh</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">And smoke their pipe like it was a sippy cup</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">We look out for others to bring light, though</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Those like you come once in a lifetime.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Those like you are special to this world.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Those like you are here to bring the shine.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">I admire your shine, your glittering gold.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">I love you with every piece of me.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">You make me shine with all I can be.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil had to literally brace himself against the wall as he began to cry. The whole poem was perfect. The feelings it gave him were overwhelming in every possible way. The details, the metaphors, all of it. Todd had written an absolute masterpiece, but that wasn’t the only thing that hit him.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The second to last line. Todd had been staring him right in the eyes when he said that line. There was a glimmer in his gaze when he said that, with a soft smile to match it. He meant it. He meant it for him. That was his confession. He loved him.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Holy shit.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil stuttered his speech, trying to get some words out. He gulped and said, “That‘s a Shakespearean sonnet.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I know,” Todd nodded, “I thought it was fitting.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“The metaphors.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“They illustrate the Hellton situation pretty well, don’t you think?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil held his hands up, as if he was defending himself from something, “The couplet.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd smiled, “What about it?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil laughed. This new Todd was something else. A whole new animal that he knew he was responsible for. It was great, and Neil was going to love getting used to it.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“What are you waiting for?” Jenny threw her arms in the air, “Say it back!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The pair laughed, and Neil looked back at Todd. They were so close. They were there. It was happening. This, them, was happening. It was real.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I love you, too.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd let out a shaky breath, saying, “I was hoping you would,” before pulling Neil down into a soft, passion-filled kiss.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">••••</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <em> <span class="s3">5 years later...</span> </em>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The classroom at Chester filled quite quickly, the students excited for what is to come that day in English class. They never knew what to expect from their teacher, but that’s what made it fun. Their time with Mr. Keating was so much different from their other courses. It was exhilarating.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Xavier, a boy with gelled-back brunette curls turned to Celeste, the girl next to him and said, “He’s not here.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“He does this all the time, Xavier,” Celeste replied, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he shows up in nothing but a burlap sack and recite some poem about the beginning of time.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Come on, he’s not that mad,” A girl from behind them piped up.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The bell rang for class to start, and Mr. Keating entered the room with a smile, leaving the classroom door open as usual. He whistled a tune that the kids could not point out, but it was light. Though he rarely wasn’t, Mr. Keating was in an exceptionally good mood. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Xavier smirked at Celeste and whispered, “No burlap sack.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Mr. Keating took a piece of chalk and wrote something down on the board. It was mostly in sloppy cursive, other than one word that confused most kids in the class. Celeste took out the packet of poems Mr. Keating have given them at the beginning of the year, flipping through it to find what poem the line was from. She found it finally and skimmed it. This was going to be an interesting class.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“‘I sound my barbaric YAWP over the rooftops of the world’,” Mr. Keating has a glimmer in his eye, “Walt Whitman. Now, a yawp sounds like some like some silly American slang that the kids throw around to greet each other, but that isn’t the case. A YAWP,” the students jumped in their seats as their teacher smacked his desk, “is a cry for independence and self assertion! It is saying ‘I am here! Hear me!’ It is confidence! It is standing on your desk and screaming out what you believe in. THAT, my friends, is a yawp.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He moved some things off of his desk and stood upon it, the students gazing up on him in awe. He squatted to grab his own copy of the “Poem Bible” (as he dubbed it), and the other students followed.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Now, please turn to page 16 and look at the poem titled ‘Sweaty-Toothed Madman’.” The kids laughed, but Xavier didn’t. He had read this poem before. In fact, he loved this poet. Every single poem was a masterpiece. It had depth and covered so many topics with grace and beauty. He had even just published a compilation of his works, and Xavier was one of the first ones in line to buy it. Todd Anderson was a brilliant poet.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Celeste mumbled under her breath, “Oh, what kind of drugs was this guy on when he wrote this?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Mr. Keating clapped his hands, “Now, normally, I would call someone out to read the poem for the class. But today, I have a special guest,” he shouted towards the door, “come in!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">A young man walked in, with longer hair slicked back with gel and a blazer and tie. He couldn’t have been older than 25, or maybe even 20. He looked around to the class with a quaint smile. It was like he understood them.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The girl sitting behind Xavier hit him and asked quietly, “Do you know who this is?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“No,” Xavier shook his head. But part of him was hopeful for who it was.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The man stood up on Keating’s desk with him. He nodded to the class, closed his eyes, and recited the poem completely from memory.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I close my eyes </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">and this image floats beside me.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">A sweaty-toothed madman with a stare that pounds my brain.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">His hands reach out and choke me,</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">And all the time he’s mumbling,</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Mumbling ‘truth.’</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Truth, like it’s a blanket that always leaves your feet cold.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">You push it, stretch it, it’ll never be enough</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">You kick at it, beat it, it’ll never cover any of us.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">From the moment we enter crying </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">To the moment we leave dying,</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">It will just cover your face</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">As you wail and cry and scream.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The man opened his eyes with a full smile on his face. The class clapped, and Xavier was in awe. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be him.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Keating smirked and nudged the man, “Not bad for a hormonal teenager who would barely speak up in class.” </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The two shared a laugh as they got down from off the desk. Mr. Keating gestured to his guest, “Students, I would like you to meet the boy who came up with his poem on the top of his head in the middle of my class only five years ago. Please welcome Mr. Todd Anderson.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The class clapped again, and Xavier smiled with joy. It was his favorite poet standing in front of him. Todd Anderson was much younger than he thought, considering how many published poems he had to his name. He didn’t know he was American like their teacher, but thinking deeper, he sure wrote like one. He could hit believe what was happening.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd smiled to the class, “Hello everybody. Mr. Keating wanted me to come and explain the importance of self confidence. As you heard him say, I was the quietest person you would ever meet. I had a hard time talking to even my parents. Mr. Keating was my English teacher when I was seventeen years old, back in the U.S. We were to write a poem to read aloud, and I didn’t do it. To get me to release my inner confidence, Mr. Keating had be do a ‘barbaric yawp’ in front of the whole class. Pretty embarrassing, right? Well, he also had be come up with a poem on the spot. This poem was that. The boys laughed, but I did it. I spoke out. And since then, I knew I wanted to become a poet. And I did, all thanks to your wonderful teacher. Seriously, don’t take this time for granted.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“If you have any questions for Mr. Anderson, now is the time to ask them,” Mr. Keating said, and Xavier’s hand shot up.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Who is your favorite poet?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd laughed and gestured to the blackboard, “Uncle Walt. He inspires me in more ways than one.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Another student asked, “Why do you have so many different types of poems?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I’m always willing to try different things out. I’ve written everything for Haikus to sonnets. It’s fun to challenge myself.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Why are you in London?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd looked over to Mr. Keating with a smile, “I moved here when I decided to become a poet. I quit that stupid school I was at and came here. I was seventeen.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Well that’s terrifying.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Indeed it was,” Todd agreed, “but I don’t regret it.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The bell rang for class to end not long later, and Mr. Keating yelled out the class, “If you are attending the production of Hamlet tonight, meet by the ticket boxes of the theater half an hour before the show starts!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Xavier had forgotten about that. He turned to Celeste and said, “This day just keeps getting better and better.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I am excited for the play,” she admitted, “I mean, I’m not looking forward to reading it next week, but tonight should be fun.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Xavier took her hand and spun her around, causing her to giggle. He pressed a kiss to his cheek, then walked off to her next class, leaving him there to to bask in the heat of his blush. He looked back into the classroom, where Mr. Keating and Todd Anderson were talking about something that had both of them smiling. He himself grinned then walked away.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">••••</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">10 of the students from his class had signed up to attend the play, even if Mr. Keating said it was extra credit and that they wouldn’t have to pay for the tickets. But it was a dedicated group. Xavier and Celeste and a few others that outwardly enjoyed Keating’s class. The outdoor theater was going to be packed, Xavier could tell. The line to get in was almost onto the street. That meant this had to be good.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“This place outs on Shakespeare all the time,” Celeste pointed out, “and it’s always good, apparently. It makes people like Shakespeare. Maybe it will do the same for us.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Xavier shrugged, “I already like his work. I’m really excited for this.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">There was a clap that got all of the students’ attention. Mr. Keating smiled at them and said, “Alright children, just a few more minutes. I am going to go ahead and go inside to make sure our seats are in order. My lovely wife Mila,” he pulled the women next to him to connect their bodies, “will bring you inside in a few minutes. See you guys in there.” He saluted then and went to the ticket person for a little conversation. With a grin, the person took the teacher’s ticket and let him inside ahead of the line. Xavier shrugged.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Looks like we’ll be getting some kind of royal treatment.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">After a few minutes of waiting, Mila, while holding hands with her young daughter, guided the group inside the theater. It was amazing how many people had come, but Celeste had reminded Xavier that it was the opening night for Hamlet, so of course a lot of people were going to go.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He spotted where the class’ seats were easily, the only row with a lot of empty seats. He saw Mr. Keating socializing with the group seated in front of them. Xavier furrowed his eyebrows as they got closer. He was talking to 6 boys that were in their early 20s, all wrapped up in their cold gear. They each had a shot glass in their hands, those coming from the bar they passed on the way in. All of them, including Mr. Keating, clinked their glasses together and downed the shots. What confused Xavier even more was that Todd Anderson was with them. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Seeing that the class is arrived, Mr. Keating handed his glass over to one of the boys and turned to them, saying, “Okay, here is our row. The show starts in just a few minutes so please get comfortable.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The group settled in, Xavier sitting between Celeste and Mr. Keating. In front of him almost directly was Todd Anderson, who was talking to the guy beside him, who had a strange tattoo peeping out from his jacket sleeve. He didn’t want to seem like a giant fan, but he really wanted to tell him how much he loved his work. He bit his lip, though, and turned to Mr. Keating and asked, “How do you know them?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The teacher grinned, “They are my former students from America. I have not seen most of them in a long time.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Why are they here?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“To support a friend who is in the play.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Xavier nodded as the music began, notifying that the play was starting. And it really was a damn good play. The set design was incredible and the lighting was great. The best part was the acting. Every actor was perfect for their role. The man playing Hamlet was so emotional, so enthralling. The “To Be or Not To Be” monologue was breathtaking. Xavier knew he was going to have fun analyzing that. The girl playing Ophelia was so diverse, able to go from meek damsel to lost madness like the flip of a switch.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The actor that really stood out to Xavier was the one playing Laertes, Ophelia’s brother. Xavier already knew that this character was complex, but barely in the first half of the play. When he showed up to see his sister in a state of insanity, the raw vulnerability hit the audience like a car. It was mesmerizing. How could a character that is not that important be so effective. It was definitely the actor. Xavier wondered how such an amazing talent wasn’t playing Hamlet himself. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The curtain drew once there was only one main character left standing, like most Shakespeare plays. It reopened for the curtain calls, and there was not enough people present in the backed theater to give the amount of praise the cast deserved. Each actor got a standing ovation. Xavier cheered extra loudly for Laertes, and he wasn’t the only one. He heard the group in front of him count to three before screaming a loud, some would say barbaric, “YAWP!” in unison. The actor turned to the group and his eyes went wide. His smile grew and he backed up to let the next actor bow. The curtains soon closed and people began to leave.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“That was phenomenal,” Celeste cheered as they stood up, “I can’t wait for next week!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Xavier smirked, “You’ve had a change of heart.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“Oh be quiet.” She shoved him a little, then lifted on her toes to peck his lips. </span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">He blushed, and then was caught off guard by Mr. Keating’s 10 year old daughter yelling, “Neil!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Xavier turned his head to see the actor who played Laertes jogging towards them. The boys in front of them staring whooping and hollering. They had come to see him.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">As the boys became caught up in their friend, Todd Anderson had stayed out of their way, watching with an endearing smile. Xavier took his chance and tapped on his shoulder. Todd turned, “Yes?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I’m sorry,” Xavier said nervously, “I just, um, I just wanted to say that I am a huge fan of your work and you coming to Mr. Keating’s class today made my year. I just love all of your work.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd smiled, “Thank you so much. I learned almost everything from Mr. Keating whenever he was my teacher. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Xavier nodded, “Again, thank you for what you said today. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I got Mr. Keating the tickets for you guys,” Todd admitted, “and I flew out Neil and I’s friends from back home. Tonight was his first big production.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“He was fantastic,” Celeste butted in, “I didn’t think I would get connected to the person wanting to kill Hamlet.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd laughed as the person in question came up to him from behind and turned him around, “How the hell did you pull this off?”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“I did it all while you were at rehearsal. I can be sneaky.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Neil smiled and hugged Todd, “You are amazing.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">One of the friends stood up on a chair and pretended to raise a glass and screamed, “To the Dead Poets Society!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">“To the Dead Poets Society!” The group echoed.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Todd then pulled at the guy’s jacket, “Now get down before you get hurt, Nuwanda.”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">Mila pulled a camera out of her giant bag and said, “I need a picture of you boys with John. Gather close!”</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s2">The boys gathered around Mr. Keating and smiled big. The picture clicked, and Xavier could tell there was quite the story with that group. Not wanting to potentially further intrude, he pulled Celeste along to follow the rest of the class out to go home. He turned back once more to see Mila taking a picture of just Neil and Todd,who hand their arms wrapped around each other. He chuckled slightly when he saw Neil steal a kiss from Todd, making him blush wildly. Xavier turned back and wrapped his arm around Celeste’s shoulder, exiting the theater with a whole new respect for Mr. Keating and the impact he had on other’s lives.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p>
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